Nashville startup strives to protect babies from opioid abuse

Melanie McCarter is about to start a job doing what she loves: helping women find the right resources to get, and stay, clean so they can live a healthy life. McCarter, the mother of a 15-month-old son, will start next month at 180 Health Partners — a new company focused on providing collaborative, multidisciplinary care for pregnant women who are addicted to opioids that is attracting high-profile investors and board members. She’ll work as a peer advocate, someone who understands where the mom-to-be is at in life, and help them get connected to the resources and motivation they need. The number of newborns treated for NAS under TennCare rose from 264 in 2008 to 1,063 by 2014. TennCare spent $48,854 per NAS baby in 2014 versus $4,951 for non-low birth weight babies. A baby born with NAS spent an average of 24 days in the hospital, compared with two days for a healthy baby.